[Richard Murphy]

The first public beta of Bonsai for the Windows Mobile platform is now available. Please read this entire message before downloading and installing this beta.

***** Important *****
This is an early beta of the product. It is not feature complete! Many features are missing, incomplete, or simply do not work. The interface is not �polished� or optimized. As such, expect the software to crash. Expect possible data loss and/or outline corruption. Make sure you keep backup copies of your outlines and preferably such that you have a history of the last few versions of these files.

Beta Screencast:
To get a quick intro to this beta, please watch the screencast.

Requirements:

• Windows Mobile based 2003, 2003SE, 5.0 Pocket PCs
  
• Windows Mobile 6 Classic, Standard, and Professional
  
• Requires .NET Compact Framework 2.0 (will be downloaded and installed if not present via the Natara Updater app but only after user confirmation)

Download Link:
The full setup which includes the Bonsai Desktop, sync component and Bonsai Windows Mobile can be found here:
http://www.natara.co...03BetaSetup.exe
CAB File (for OTA installation)
http://www.natara.com/public/Betas/BonsaiP...3Beta.ARMV4.CAB

Evaluation Code
New users will have an automatic 30 day evaluation period. If the beta reports that it has expired, refer to this thread to obtain an evaluation number to continue using Bonsai. There is also links to purchase the software rather than enter the evaluation number.

Installation (Windows Setup):
Download and run the setup to install Bonsai. The installation wizard will lead you through the installation of the Bonsai Windows Mobile application as well as the optional Bonsai Desktop and ActiveSync/WMDC sync software. Once Bonsai is installed, please check back periodically for program updates. You can also subscribe to the Natara blog to receive product update notices.

Installation (CAB/OTA Installation):
Download the CAB to your handheld and use File Explorer to launch the CAB file to start the installation. Once Bonsai is installed, use the �Check for updates� menu to periodically check for program updates.

Why are we making this beta available if it is not feature complete?
Most of the core features of Bonsai are in and working. I am sure some users will find this beta useful while others will feel it is too incomplete to be worth the effort. Given that synchronization is not supported in this initial beta, you will need to either create the outline on the handheld or copy it from your desktop to access it on your handheld. If you have a massive outline with several thousands of items, performance maybe become an issue until we performance tune the software.

What feedback are we looking for?
I am sure there are many cosmetic issues with the Bonsai interface still to be addressed and a list of un-implemented features to bring it to the level of the current Palm product. I do not encourage discussion about these minor issues as I most likely already know about it. Once the beta has matured, then feel free to discuss it in the beta forum. When reporting an issue, it is generally best to start a topic for each issue rather than lumping several into one.

At this time we are most interested in:

• Reports of any crashes (Log of crash can be found in the \Program Files\Natara\Bonsai\BonsaiLog.txt file)
  
• Details about any outline corruptions
  
• Top three �most missed features� from the Palm version (to help prioritize our development)

List of major features not yet implemented (not necessarily a complete list):

• Support of linking to calendar, task and other outlines
  
• Undo
  
• Cut and Paste of Outline Items
  
• Multi-Select of outline items and any operations that can target this selection
  
• Drag and drop of outline items
  
• Saving of filters (now fully supported in build 2810)
  
• Find
  
• Views (now fully supported in build 2810)
  
• Toolbars, Context Menus, etc � This beta is focused on Smartphone devices; WM devices without a touch screen. Features that are Pocket PC specific will come later in the beta.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.7. The build number is 2810.

[*]Filters can be saved (this completes the filters feature set except for a couple of minor UI nits).

[*]Fixed several minor issues with the views feature.

See the first message in this thread for the download link or use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 2854.

• Added the Outline Options configuration (Menu/Options/Outline Options menu)
  
• Fixed incompatibility with CalliGrapher (fixed in build 2820)
  
• Fixed several minor bugs including incorrect interpretation of outline colorization settings.

See the first message in this thread for the download link or use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device. Since the Bonsai Desktop/Palm 4.2.8 beta software has begun, I have updated the Windows Mobile version to 4.2.8 to match. When using the "Check for Updates" with a v4.2.7 beta, the most current 4.2.8 beta will be listed under the "other time limited demos" header. Please select this item to install the latest beta.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 2863.

• Global Settings (configured from the Menu/Options/Global Settings menu) are now loaded at startup and saved when modified. There is still some more work to be done to finish this feature, but most settings are now working. In particular, you can select the font/size to be used to display all outlines.
  
• Fixed problem preventing a new outline to be created; an issue introduced in the previous build.

See the first message in this thread for the download link or use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 2874.

• Resolved issue where no item is selected if an action caused the selected item to be hidden due to the current filter. A typical case would be for a ToDo list where a filter is used for hiding the "completed" items. Whenever checking off an item the list would no longer have a selected item.
  
• Fixed problems with the scroll bar where it was not sizing properly when collapsing and expanding parents and when switching filters.
  
• Updated the code to display simple items as a dash rather than a checkbox which should only be used for ToDo items.
  
• Changed code so the expand/collapse handle would not be drawn when using a flat filter.
  
• Relocated the folder where log files are saved. Previously, the log file was saved in the "My Documents" folder and could cause continuous execution of the sync if the "Files" service was enabled.
  
• Optimized load time of outlines. Found one particular routine that was causing a significant delay during the initial loading of the outline. In the case of this 4000+ item outline, the load time was reduced by more than 50 percent. Additional performance tuning is still needed for these large outline files.

See the first message in this thread for the download link or use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 2889.

• Added support for the "Details" menu in the outline manager. From the details form, you can move the location of an outline as well as view and in some cases set attributes of the outline.
  
• Added the "New Outline Options" dialog to the outline manager.
  
• Added the "Outline Categories" menu to the outline manager
  
• Added the View/Show menu to outline manager. This allows the user to filter the displayed outlines by category.
  
• Added the View/Sort menu to outline manager. Touchscreen devices could sort the outline manager by clicking on the column header but this menu gives the non-touchscreen users the ability to sort the list.
  
• Added the "Categories" menu to the outline editor
  
• Changed the highlight color of the outline manager grid to use the configured active cell color configured in the global options.
  
• Updated the code to have the enter key follow the global setting of "Enter key splits item text into two".
  
• Fixed the keyword configuration so changes to a keyword's category setting will be properly saved.
  
• Resolved issue with the proper placement of the new child or sibling item when the current item has children. (Yes, I know that inserting a child will actually insert a sibling if the current item has no parent; to be fixed in next build.)

See the first message in this thread for the download link or use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 2917. Just is a minor update resolving some of the reported issues with the current beta. The bulk of my recent work has been on sync but I wanted to get this out in the mean time.

• Changed the handling of the OK button (on touchscreen devices) to close the outline being edited rather than exiting the Bonsai app.
  
• Resolved Next Action display issue where the view would be drawn without the item text.
  
• Fixed crash to would occur when inserting new items at the bottom of an outline. This was generally reported when creating a new outline where hitting enter after entering two outline items would crash Bonsai.
  
• Updated code to flush pending edits before opening the Item Details form.
  
• Improved the indent/outdent tab key handling so the edit focus will not be lost.
  
• Fixed insert child command so it properly inserts a child if the current item has no parent.
  
• The registration number will now be remembered when installing a newer Bonsai version.

See the first message in this thread for the download link or use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device.

[Richard Murphy]

Beta availability of the full Bonsai for Windows Mobile product begins today!!!

The full setup which includes the Bonsai Desktop, sync component and Bonsai Windows Mobile can be found here:
http://www.natara.co...28BetaSetup.exe

Keep in mind this is beta so be sure to backup your outlines to be safe. The sync engine is based on the Palm sync code, so I do not expect any major problems, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

Once you install the software installed and get your outlines synchronized, please post feedback (good or bad - start a new thread in this forum). Also indicate if you sync your device at one or two PCs. Thanks!

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 2938.

• Added temporary support of Windows Mobile devices using a two tier security mode. Full details here.
  
• Moved the location of the Bonsai Desktop sync log to the "AppData"\Natara directory where AddData is the Windows defined Application Data directory. This is the path that the Bonsai Desktop application looks in to find the diagnostic sync log for Palm OS devices when the user clicks the "View Diagnostic Log..." button. This now works for viewing Window Mobile sync logs when logging is configured for diagnostics (configured from the View/Global Settings menu Synchronization tab).
  
• Fixed problem where newly created filters were not saved if no other changes were made to the outline. Any changes to the currently applied filter will also be remembered when the outline is re-opened.
  
• Fixed display issue when a filter is applied, outlines items positioned at the top of the outline may not have been displayed if no scroll bar was required.
  
• When editing an outline, the "Back" key (found on smartphone devices) will return you to the outline manager. I will be added more support for the Back key in other areas of the application in future beta updates.
  
• Fixed sync issue that cause Bonsai to sync periodically while the device is connected. The sync should only occur when the handheld is connected to the PC and the outline is saved on either the PC or Windows Mobile device (or auto-saved from the Windows Mobile device).

See the first message in this thread for the download link. If you only use the Windows Mobile application and do not sync Bonsai with a PC, you can use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device to download and install the update.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 2943.

• Fixed syncing of item categories between the desktop and handheld. Previously the sync engine was missing the code to handling the syncing of categories. Please check your outlines as the handheld versions synced from the desktop may have all of their categories set to unfiled. It might be best to rename the handheld outline and have the sync recreate it to resolve this issue.
  
• Column changes to the current view often were not being reloaded when returning to the outline view.
  
• Fixed displaying of outline category names in the outline manager. The code was using the default encoding which caused problems with extended characters.

See the first message in this thread for the download link. If you only use the Windows Mobile application and do not sync Bonsai with a PC, you can use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device to download and install the update.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 2961.

• Improved the readability of the outline text when highlighted. The code will now use the active cell background color (defaults to system theme color for highlight background) with the system theme color for highlight text. Rather than highlighting the entire cell, only the "sub-cell" is highlighted (i.e. only the outline text, status checkbox/progress bar or collapse handle is highlighted).
  
• Fixed delete completed operation so the grid is properly reloaded.

See the first message in this thread for the download link. If you only use the Windows Mobile application and do not sync Bonsai with a PC, you can use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device to download and install the update.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 3054. Sorry it has been so long since the last update. While this is a fairing small update, I expect more frequent updates going forward including the introduction of additional features.

• Fixed issue that could lead to lost changes on the desktop if an outline was opened and modified on the desktop when ActiveSync was performing a sync.
  
• Ensured the focus is correctly set when the outline categories screen is opened. This will allow the user to use the directional pad to navigate the grid.
  
• Fixed in-place editing of the priority value. Previously any changes were being discarded.
  
• Changed filter form so a filter cannot be saved without configuring a filter name.

See the first message in this thread for the download link. If you only use the Windows Mobile application and do not sync Bonsai with a PC, you can use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device to download and install the update.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 3100. The attachment shows a screenshot of the Windows Mobile app after executing a find command with the note pane enabled.

*** Warning ***
This build will not work on Windows Mobile 5 and older devices. We hope to have a new build tomorrow (Thursday) morning to resolve this issue.
*** Warning ***

• Added toolbar for WM touch screen devices. The toolbar is not configurable at this time. The ability to configure the toolbar will come at a later time, possible sometime after the initial release of the WM product.
  
• Find command is now supported. The find can be activated using the toolbar or the Menu/Edit/Find menu. The find supports incremental searching as you type. Options for the find can be accessed by clicking the ">>" button and include options to match case, include notes in the search and select direction of search. Currently the search begins at the current cursor location and ends at the top or bottom of the outline. I plan to change this so the search will wrap around to the top/bottom of the outline and continue until it gets back to the starting location.
  
• Added note pane to the outline view in the WM application. The note pane can be shown and disabled via the View/Note menu. The size of the note pane can be adjusted on touch screen devices by tapping, holding and dragging the splitter (the divider between the outline and the note pane). For non-touch screen devices, the size of the note pane is fixed. The setting of the note pane status (enabled state and size) is not currently persisted but this will be added soon.
  
• Fixed problems handling non-English characters by the WM application. The outline files written by Bonsai on the WM device will be in a UTF-8 encoding. The PC version of Bonsai can read this format but currently only writes the outline in a "local code page" encoding. The sync engine also behaves in the same way. This means that if non-English characters are used in an outline, the region settings on both the PC and WM device must match. With this change and the proper regional settings, non-English characters can be used both in the outline and in the outline file names.
  
• Fixed problem browsing the outline list after opening an outline.
  
• Resolved crash that sometimes occurs when configuring an items keywords.

See the first message in this thread for the download link. If you only use the Windows Mobile application and do not sync Bonsai with a PC, you can use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device to download and install the update.

Attached thumbnail(s)

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[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 3102.

• Fixed issue where Bonsai would crash after opening an outline on WM5 and older devices due to toolbar control executing an API not available on these older devices.
  
• Updated find control resizing code to avoid displaying a scroll bar when toggling between advanced and basic modes. This was only seen on certain devices.
  
• Fixed problem when creating a new outline where once enough outline items were added such that the vertical scroll bar was displayed, the active cell could be positioned off screen and become hidden.

See the first message in this thread for the download link. If you only use the Windows Mobile application and do not sync Bonsai with a PC, you can use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device to download and install the update.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 3115.

*** Non-touchscreen users - please wait until next build to install ***
It has been found that this build will crash when opening secondary forms such as item details, outline options, etc on Windows Mobile Standard devices (those without touch screens).
We will have a new build that should be released later today to resolve this issue.

• Added date format selection to the global configuration.
  
• Added tool bar size to the global configuration.
  
  
• Fixed item details dialog so a new category name can be type into the control. Previously this would likely crash the application.
  
• Fixed several resource leaks and fatal program exceptions.

See the first message in this thread for the download link. If you only use the Windows Mobile application and do not sync Bonsai with a PC, you can use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device to download and install the update.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 4.2.8. The build number is 3116.

• Fixed crash when opening secondary screens on WM Standard (non-touch screen) devices.

See the first message in this thread for the download link. If you only use the Windows Mobile application and do not sync Bonsai with a PC, you can use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device to download and install the update.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 5.0.1. The build number is 3166.

The version number of the Windows Mobile beta has been renumbered to match the Bonsai Desktop numbering of v5.0.1. If you previously purchased a Windows Mobile license, your registration number will continue to work with the v5 beta.

• Build now includes the new Bonsai Desktop v5 application. For a complete list of changes to Bonsai Desktop, please see the following thread.

Sorry, no updates for the Windows Mobile app. I know there are outstanding issues with the Windows Mobile app that need to be address and I will try to get them resolved as soon as I can.

See the first message in this thread for the download link. If you only use the Windows Mobile application and do not sync Bonsai with a PC, you can use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device to download and install the update.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 5.0.1. The build number is 3189.

Windows Mobile App

• Fixed problem where changing the category setting of the outline was not saved on the Windows Mobile app. The problem was the control was not flushing the change when closing the dialog (it was saved if you moved to the next field in the view). Since this fix was a problem in the control, this will resolve similar cases in other areas where this control is used.
  
• The view is now updated when column changes are made to the view from the View>>Views..>>Menu>>Edit>>Configure Columns.
  
• Fixed problem where parent tasks were being given due dates after a sync even though the calculate parent values from child for start, due and completed dates were disabled. The issue is this setting for enabling/disabling the calculation of parent values was not being synchronized between the desktop and Windows Mobile platforms. The sync engine will now sync these values so it will be the same on both platforms.

PC Application

• Change to use buffered IO when writing outline files. I assume this was an uninitentional change introduced in Bonsai 4.0.1 with the outline file format change to XML. This caused outline writes, including when using the outline to outline file sync feature, to be very slow when the file is located on a resource over a slow link (i.e. internet based VPN connection).
  
• Build includes all of the changes in the released version of the Bonsai Desktop v5 application.

I am still working on other outstanding issues with the Windows Mobile app. I will try to get them resolved as soon as I can.

See the first message in this thread for the download link. If you only use the Windows Mobile application and do not sync Bonsai with a PC, you can use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device to download and install the update.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 5.0.3. The build number is 3308.

The previous beta, build 3189, will be expiring tomorrow (Nov. 24th) so you will need update the Windows Mobile application to this version in order to continue using Bonsai on your handheld.

Windows Mobile App

• Support for cut, copy and paste of text in the outline text or note fields.
  
• Initial support for the Undo function. This feature is still in testing so use with caution. When editing text, the edit control's undo functionality is used, which simply undoes the last block of typing. Undoing a second time reverses the undo operation. If you are not currently editing text, then the undo function will undo the last outline operation. You can repeat the undo function to undo earlier operations. Like the desktop, there is no redo function, so you are not able to restore the undo operation.
  
• Internal changes to the Bonsai application.

PC Application

• Build includes all of the changes in the released version of the Bonsai Desktop v5 application.

I am still working on finishing testing the Undo feature and the internal changes made to the Bonsai application. If you see any unusual Bonsai behavior, please let me know by reporting it in this beta forum.

See the first message in this thread for the download link. If you only use the Windows Mobile application and do not sync Bonsai with a PC, you can use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device to download and install the update.

[Richard Murphy]

I have posted a new beta build of Bonsai for Windows Mobile version 5.0.3. The build number is 3429.

The previous beta, build 3308, expired today (March 23th) so you will need update the Windows Mobile application to this version in order to continue using Bonsai on your handheld.

Windows Mobile App

• Updated beta expiration code so registered users will be able to continue to run the beta even after the beta expires.

PC Application

• Fixed problem where the application would exit due to an expired evaluation period even if the user entered a valid registration number. This only occurred with Windows Mobile licenses and only if the current user was not the username being selected for registration.
  
• Fixed problem where Bonsai could crash on rare occasions during startup when restoring previously opened outlines.
  
• Fixed crash when an outline was opened. The issue was triggered if Bonsai attempted to restore a previously opened outline at startup but that outline's path was invalid.

See the first message in this thread for the download link. If you only use the Windows Mobile application and do not sync Bonsai with a PC, you can use the "Menu/Check for Updates" menu item from Bonsai's outline manager dialog on the Windows Mobile device to download and install the update.